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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25408624">Post-Brotherhood Drabbles</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barbllm/pseuds/Barbllm'>Barbllm</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood &amp; Manga</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dorks in Love, Drabble Collection, F/M, Post-Canon, Short One Shot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:40:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,629</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25408624</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barbllm/pseuds/Barbllm</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary: So, what happened in the two years prior to Edward and Alphonse setting out on their respective journeys?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell, Julia Crichton/Alphonse Elric</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>95</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Homecoming</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Disclaimer: The characters of FMA are the property of Hiromu Arakawa.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She was aware of Den barking and the shock on the faces of the two boys-no, men-that she'd just crash-tackled to the ground. She couldn't stop the tears even if she'd wanted to. They were home, both of them, in the flesh.</p><p>"Dummies. Welcome home." She managed to get out, although her voice sounded softer and hoarser.</p><p>"Thanks," Ed grinned at her.</p><p>"Good to be back," Al said, smiling. How long had it been since she'd seen Al smile?</p><p>Then she noticed a cane near Al. Was that his? She sat back on her knees, and both Ed and Al sat up. Den immediately raced over and began licking Ed, much to his consternation.  </p><p>"Al? Is this yours?" Winry pointed at the cane.</p><p>Al nodded. "My muscles aren't what they used to be."</p><p>"Den, stop it," Winry commanded and Den happily went to his owner, wagging his tail. Ed sat up, grumbling under his breath about a mangy mutt. Ed helped Al stand up, and Winry handed him his cane.</p><p>"Sorry for knocking you over," Winry apologized. "But, oh my God...Al…" she hesitated. Al inclined his head towards her. Her hand covered her mouth, and the tears continued.</p><p>"It's really you." She embraced him again, and was rewarded by hearing his laughter. She felt his arms wrap around her.</p><p>"Yep, it's really me." Al said. He was still amazed at how warm human bodies really were.</p><p>"Get this dog off me!" Ed's voice cut through their happy reunion. Den had Ed somehow pinned to the ground by lying across Ed's back. Winry and Al couldn't hold back their laughter.</p><p>"You'll probably need to look at Ed's leg. He said it was stiff," Al said to Winry as they made their way to the Rockbell house.</p><p>"What are you talking about?"</p><p>"Ed's leg." Al indicated Ed's left leg, where Winry had built her first automail limb years ago.</p><p>"I don't understand," Winry said, looking at both of them. "Al's back. You're back. How do you still have an automail limb?"</p><p>Ed stopped and looked at his personal mechanic and closest friend. And possibly more, if he could ever find the right words. "I didn't trade my leg for Al's soul. I traded something else." His eyes lowered.</p><p>"What? What did you trade?" Winry asked.</p><p>"My ability to perform alchemy." Ed said softly.</p><p>Al and Winry both stared at him. Al knew of this, having discussed it in depth at the hospital in Central. But Winry was stunned; alchemy had been as much a part of Ed's childhood as she and Pinako had been. Alchemy was to Edward like food was to a chef. What purpose does a chef serve if there's no food to prepare?</p><p>"Brother…" Al began, but Ed cut him off, and wrapped his arm around Al's shoulder.</p><p>"It was worth it," Ed said, tousling Al's short hair. Al ducked.</p><p>"Ed? Are you okay with this?" Winry knew full well of Ed's passion for alchemy. Adjusting to life where clapping your hands together and transmuting objects didn't work anymore would be a challenge.</p><p>Ed looked from his brother's face to Winry's.</p><p>"Absolutely." The smug grin that Winry was used to seeing crossed Ed's face. She smiled at them, at her boys, and together they went into the house.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2- Traveling Man</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Author's note: I've never shipped Al/May.  While I thought the "Sacred Star of Milos" movie had some pacing problems, I liked Julia's character and thought she had more in common with Alphonse than May did.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Where are you thinking of heading?" Al asked, leaning over a map of Amestris and its neighboring countries spread out on the table. Ed frowned and looked at the map.</p><p>"I was thinking of heading west, towards Drachma, or Creta, and the ruins of Xerxes." Ed felt that he might be able to do some good there, learn some more about alchemy, considering that Xerxes, his homeland, was the place of its origin. Aerugo didn't have much in the way of alchemy, but still...it was unexplored territory for him.</p><p>Al looked thoughtful. "Creta," he said under his breath. "That's near where Milos was."</p><p>"Yes. Why?"</p><p>Ed knew that Milos was now an independent city-state and found itself under Amestrian law for the most part; a new constitution for Milos was being written and rewritten as the brothers spoke. Table City was under full control of Milosian supporters now, but Amestris kept some military personnel there, Ed knew, based on what Roy had told him after the Promised Day. Ed wasn't officially discharged from the military, and he suspected that his discharge paperwork was buried somewhere on Roy's desk.</p><p>"Could you do me a favor? If you happen to see her-uh, that is, Julia Crichton-can you give her my regards?" Al asked shyly.</p><p>"Of course." Ed grinned. His brother had gotten somewhat attached to the pretty red-haired alchemist when they'd been involved in an incident there involving a three-dimensional transmutation circle and a philosopher's stone. She was currently a teacher there, based on what little both brothers had read about the Milosian independence movement, but at one time she'd been considered for the position of ambassador.</p><p>"You, uh, you got along with her pretty well, from what I remember." Ed teased his younger brother, who was unsuccessfully trying to hide the blush creeping across his face. She probably doesn't remember me, Al thought.</p><p>"So, where are you heading?" Ed asked, although he suspected he already knew: Al would head east, towards the desert and Xing.</p><p>'East. Mei did promise to teach me about alkahestry, and I intend to hold her to that promise," Al said confidently.</p><p>"Al, pretty soon you're going to have a girl in every country," Ed said, laughing. Al's blush deepened.</p><p>"I hope you're not internally comparing me to Roy Mustang," Al replied, indignantly.</p><p>"No," Ed laughed, "Roy's still smoother than you."</p><p>Al laughed as well. Spending one's formative years inside a suit of armor doesn't exactly make one a ladies' man, Al thought. But both Julia and Mei had seen past his somewhat frightening exterior to his very human interior, and for that he was grateful.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3 - Catching Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Author's note: I dislike the ending for this drabble, but I had a case of writer's block that wouldn't leave.  And I do think that Ed would tell Winry about Maes's death.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was inevitable that Winry would have questions about the Promised Day, and it was also inevitable that she'd plead with Edward and Alphonse to tell her what really happened. At first, Edward hesitated, wanting to spare her the horrors of war, the Homunculi, and Father. But Edward eventually realized that as a citizen of Amestris, she had a stake in what happened.</p><p>The discussion took place in the Rockbell living room, with Edward and Winry on the couch, and Alphonse on the floor. Pinako was in a rocking chair that Alphonse had transmuted for her as a birthday gift.</p><p>"So...that little green worm...was a homunculus?" Winry asked, looking at the strange little creature Edward had drawn on a piece of paper.</p><p>"Its-or his name was Envy. Roy burned it almost to a crisp." Edward looked at his drawing. It was a little rough-looking and lacked the symmetry of his transmutation circles.</p><p>"But all the homunculi are gone now?" Pinako asked.</p><p>Edward nodded. "They're all dead. We made sure of that."</p><p>"So, the fighting is completely over?" Winry asked.</p><p>"For now."</p><p>"Wars don't end as long as those who've experienced them live." Pinako said. She blew smoke from her pipe. The three teenagers in the living room sat silently. The aftermath of war was seldom pleasant, no matter how good the promises of peace and security sounded coming from governmental officials.</p><p>"Winry," Ed began, "There's something else you should know." Winry paused, noticing that Ed's voice was quieter than usual. She knew that Ed was debating whether or not to tell her something. "Envy is a shapeshifter. He's the one who killed Maes Hughes."</p><p>Ed turned to look at his friend, whose eyes were wider than he'd ever seen them before. Winry looked down at her lap and then back at Edward. Ed saw that she was close to tears, but was holding back.</p><p>"Then it's a good thing you killed him." Winry said coldly.</p><p>"I didn't. He committed suicide."</p><p>"How?" Alphonse asked. He knew as did Edward that these artificial humans were powered by philosopher's stones. A homunculus committing suicide seemed illogical.</p><p>"Envy couldn't understand how people who have legitimate grievances with one another could still work together. It's beyond him, it's a strength he didn't possess."</p><p>"So, Envy...envied people?" Pinako asked. "Sounds like death by irony."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Sparring Partners</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The breeze barely stirred the leaves or grass and it was clear that summer was coming to Resembool. The sun was high in the sky and gauzy clouds drifted overhead. The brothers faced each other in familiar stances.</p><p>"You sure you feel up to this?" The older brother asked.</p><p>"Don't hold back," the younger one countered.</p><p>With a familiar smirk, Ed shifted his weight to his left foot. Al would probably come at him from that side. Al kept low but Ed dodged all of Al's well-aimed blows. Frustrated, Al took a half-step back, fists clenched, and glared at Ed. By his stance, Ed knew that Al would try a spinning back kick.</p><p>Ed reached across and grabbed Al's right wrist, and moved with him. Ed ducked under Al's arm and leg and then came up behind him just as Al's foot hit the ground.</p><p>"Dammit, that worked the last time!" Al yelled.</p><p>"Too slow," Ed replied, grabbing Al's shoulders for control. Then he kneed Al near the coccyx, at the base of his spine, and Al yelped before falling forward after Ed released him.</p><p>"You okay?" Ed asked. He knelt beside his brother, who was on all fours and trying to catch his breath.</p><p>Al nodded. "You finally beat me. Congratulations."</p><p>Ed tousled Al's hair before trying to stand up and hearing a horrific metallic clanking noise coming from his lower extremity. Someday he'd get the hang of automail maintenance.</p><p>"Winry's going to kill you."</p><p>'Don't remind me," Ed said, limping back towards the house and another potential fight.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Taste of Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After they crossed the threshold of the Rockbell home, a familiar smell reached Al's nostrils. Apple pie. Winry's apple pie. Ed had told her in his usual smug fashion to be sure and have one waiting for him and Al when they returned home, and she'd kept her end of the bargain.</p><p>"Is that apple pie?" Al asked, walking unsteadily towards the kitchen.</p><p>"Yep." Winry grinned. "It's been out of the oven for a while, so it's not super hot, but have a slice." She grabbed a plate and a fork, and cut a slice of pie for Al, who was seating himself at their wooden dining room table.</p><p>"Thanks, Winry." Al said. He stopped for a second, realizing that this was the first food he'd actually eaten in five years' time. He heard Ed follow him into the dining room, and watched Winry hand Ed his own slice.</p><p>The first taste of apple pie was amazing. The apples, from a local orchard, were tart and crisp. Winry had added cinnamon, as usual. The crust was flaky. If Winry ever decided that being an automail mechanic was too tedious-which she'd never do-she could easily open a bakery.</p><p>Al was aware of every single taste bud on his tongue and he was surprised to find himself holding his face in one hand, and wiping tears from his eyes.</p><p>"Al?" he heard Ed's concerned voice.</p><p>"It's really good." Al said. Why was he crying? "I-I'm sorry, I just…" he stopped talking and put down his fork. He held his face in both hands. He heard footsteps behind him and then felt Winry's hand on his shoulder.</p><p>"I just feel-" Al continued in between tears.</p><p>"Yeah," he heard Ed speak. "You feel. For the first time in a long time, Al."</p><p>"It's okay." Al heard Winry reassure him. And he ate three slices of pie while his friends watched him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Flowers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She walked home, resolved to find her grandmother's book on flowers, which she thought might be in the basement. She increased her speed, seeing the sky darken to the west, promising rain. She had always hated storms.</p><p>She found the book just where she thought it would be, and she turned the pages until she found the likeness of the white flower with bright green leaves. The flower opened at night, the book said, and was lightly scented. Outside, the rain battered the roof. Rain was good, she thought; it would help the flowers grow and bloom.</p><p>The flower she had seen had been planted recently near her parents' graves. The flowers formed an imperfect semicircle around the headstones. And, much to her surprise, according to the book: the flowers were native to Ishval.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Changes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Author's notes: My take on how Alphonse would deal with his rapidly aging body, post-Promised Day.<br/>Disclaimer:  The characters are the intellectual property of Hiromu Arakawa.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Ed walked into their shared bedroom, Al was reading from a large cloth-bound book, which appeared to be a textbook of some sort.  </p><p>“What’s that?”  he asked. </p><p>“Nothing.” Al said hurriedly, closing the book and pushing it aside.</p><p>“It’s not nothing.  It’s a book.  What’s it about?” Ed tried to grab it from Al’s hands, but Al just clutched it tighter.</p><p>“Nothing, I told you.” Al seemed aggravated at his questions, and Ed noticed that his brother was blushing.  Did he have one of those magazines that Havoc always read--the ones with girls in them--hidden in there somewhere?</p><p>“Al, what is it?  Something wrong?”</p><p>“It--I--I just wanted some information about my body.  That’s all.”  </p><p>“Did you want to talk?”  Ed asked, sitting on his bed which was opposite Al’s.  Al’s face was still red and he seemed nervous.  </p><p>“It’s just that--I went into the portal as a child, and I came out as--well, older.”  Al said, running a hand through his short, golden hair.  “I know about puberty and all the changes because Teacher had that conversation with us, remember?”</p><p>Ed shuddered.  Izumi hadn’t held anything back from explaining human sexuality to both Ed and Al; she considered it part of their training.  Spending a month on Yock Island was less terrifying than learning about human reproduction from the inestimable Mrs. Curtis.  </p><p>“It’s just that--a lot of these changes have been happening all at once.”  Al continued.  “When I was recovering in the hospital, Lieutenant Hawkeye and her friend Rebecca came to visit me.  They both hugged me before they left, and I got--aroused.”</p><p>Ed chuckled.  “That’s perfectly normal for a 17-year-old, Al.”</p><p>“It’s also perfectly humiliating.”  </p><p>“Did she notice?”  </p><p>“I hope not.”  Al was silent for a moment.  “Brother, has this ever happened to you?”</p><p>“Of course it has.”  Ed responded.  The journey from becoming an amputee to a State Alchemist had been difficult, but it was nothing compared to the journey from adolescence to manhood, which they were both navigating now.  With Al unable to sleep in his armor, occasionally Ed would stay up late and they’d talk about the day’s events, their research and--inevitably--girls.  </p><p>“One time, I was having my auto-mail adjusted.  Winry’s face was really close to mine.  Like we were close enough to kiss.”  Ed smiled.  “I had to start reciting the periodic table of elements to calm down.”</p><p>Al laughed at this.  “Did that help?”</p><p>“Sort of.” Ed said, rubbing the back of his head.  “I mean, yeah.”  Having Kimblee and his goons in the room with them was also a deterrent.  But that didn’t change the fact that he really wanted to kiss Winry, just to see what it felt like.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Old Friends, part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Post-Promised Day, Alphonse meets an old friend in East City.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Author's note: I ship Alphonse with Julia Crichton from the "Sacred Star of Milos" movie.  He just seems to have much more in common with her than he does with May Chang.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Through a series of improbable circumstances including a conversation that contained the words “Colonel Bastard” and “world domination”, Alphonse Elric found himself strolling the streets of East City again, heading towards a coffee shop.  Edward, his brother and the Fullmetal Alchemist (although who knew how long he'd get to keep that title) and Colonel Bastard--er, Mustang, were still in meetings and Alphonse was getting bored.  </p><p>He’d done some public works projects at the request of the Colonel, which included repairing the damage to Central Command, as well as fixing other buildings that had been badly damaged during the Promised Day.  He was assigned to work with Major Alex Louis Armstrong, and not only was he getting hungry, he’d had his fill of shirtless men for one day.  The streets were crowded, as usual, and Alphonse felt himself be pushed from behind.  He stumbled, and to his embarrassment, he fell forward, with arms outstretched.  One of his arms caught another arm, and soon he found himself sitting on the pavement across from a young woman in a deep blue dress.  She had long red hair, tied in a braid, and one silver earring.  She was looking a bit disheveled, but she managed a smile.</p><p>“Excuse me!  I am so sorry!” Alphonse practically leapt to his feet, and offered her his hand, pulling her to her feet.  </p><p>“No harm done,” she replied.  </p><p>Alphonse took the opportunity to look her over, hoping he’d remain somewhat subtle.  She had red hair and aquamarine eyes.  </p><p>“I’m--uh, Alphonse.  Alphonse Elric.”  He noticed that his hand was still holding hers.  She didn’t seem to notice--or mind.</p><p>“Alphonse?”  She seemed startled, and now it was her turn to look him over.  Her face broke into a wide grin.  “I don’t know if you remember me or not, but you were a lot taller the last time I saw you.”</p><p>Neurons in Alphonse’s brain fired, and he felt his mouth open.  “Julia?” he said.</p><p>“The same.  Julia Crichton, from Milos.”</p><p>It was Alphonse’s turn to grin.  “It’s great to see you again!  What brings you to Amestris?”  </p><p>“I’m here as an ambassador for Milos.  We’re working on developing our national boundaries.  And I wanted to see if I could find some books on alchemy while I’m here.  I heard there’s a terrific bookstore somewhere in the city.”</p><p>It was at that moment with the two smiling at each other, that they realized they were still holding hands.  Alphonse suddenly dropped her hand, feeling immediately self-conscious.  </p><p>“Where are you heading?”  Julia asked.  </p><p>“I was going to get some coffee.”  One hand brushed the back of his head.  “Would you care to join me?” </p><p>“I’d love to.”</p><p>The coffee shop, again due to a series of improbable circumstances including recent zoning law changes, was on the same broad street as the bookstore Julia was searching for.  They’d talked as old friends on the way to the shop and Alphonse held the door for Julia, which elicited a smile from her--as well as from an older couple seated near the window.  </p><p>After getting their coffees and pastries, they found a table near the window.  They spent a few minutes in silence, sipping coffee and people watching.  Although to be more precise, they watched each other.  </p><p>Oh my God, he’s gorgeous, Julia thought.  She looked down at her plate as his golden eyes met hers.  He was tall and well-muscled, with golden hair cropped short and golden eyes.  </p><p>She is still one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen, Alphonse thought.   She was still tall and lithe, and the blue dress brought out her eyes and fair complexion.  He heard a faint noise that sounded like gears whirring and was reminded of her auto-mail leg.  </p><p>“Alphonse, if I may ask--how did it happen?”  </p><p>Alphonse was brought out of his Julia-induced reverie.  “Sorry, what?  How did what happen?”</p><p>“Well, you.”  She said with a laugh.  “You’re human.”</p><p>“Oh, that,” he said, laughing as well.  “It’s a long story, but it’s really my brother’s doing.”  </p><p>So he found something equal to the price of a human soul, Julia thought.  “I’m not surprised.  Your brother was very determined.”</p><p>“I think it runs in the family.”</p><p>Julia now met his gaze.  “I’m indebted to both of you.  You know that.”</p><p>Alphonse waved a hand.  “Consider it paid in full.  We were just happy to see you alive and well at the end.”  </p><p>“To tell you the truth, I was happy to come out of that--situation alive.”  Julia said.  </p><p>“And now you’re an ambassador,” Alphonse said, leaning back in his chair.  “How did that happen?”</p><p>“I was the people’s choice,” she said.  “At first, I wasn’t sure I was qualified, but everyone else seemed to think I should be the one who goes to Amestris and meets with your Fuhrer.”  Some days, she wished she'd remained a schoolteacher.  Government work was tedious.  But this was the culmination of what she believed was a lifelong dream for her, and she wasn't about to stop now.  </p><p>Alphonse wondered how much bureaucracy she’d need to go through in order for Milos to be a truly free nation-state, as she and their people wanted.  The last he knew, they’d taken over Table City and moved out of the valley.  Julia continued explaining, and Alphonse was surprised to learn she knew some alchemy.</p><p>“Who taught you?”</p><p>“I’m self-taught.  I read books on alchemy that I found in Amestris or Creta.”  Julia shrugged.  “I’m not at your level, obviously, but I can do some medical alchemy.”</p><p>That caught Alphonse’s attention.  “Medical alchemy?  Have you ever heard of alkahestry?”</p><p>“Yes, a little.  One of the books I found touched on it.  It originated in the land of Xing, and is fairly specific to medicine and healing, but it’s limited.  For severe injuries, you’d still need a physician.”  Julia wasn’t sure if her alchemy and the alkahestry she’d read about were one and the same, but the books she was looking for should help.  She also needed something to read tonight as she sat in her hotel room.  </p><p>“Why do you ask?”  she said.  She finished her coffee.  </p><p>“Because I met some people from Xing, and one of them, a young girl, could perform alkahestry.  Eventually, I’d like to go there and learn more.”</p><p>“Sounds exotic.”  </p><p>Alphonse smiled again at this, and downed the remainder of his coffee in one gulp.  “You said you wanted to go to a bookstore?”</p><p>“Yes.  You’re welcome to join me if you like,”  she said, standing.  </p><p>Alphonse’s internal debate lasted only seconds: go back to Central Command and deal with his potentially annoyed brother, or spend a few more minutes--or longer--talking about alchemy with a lovely young woman.  He followed her out of the coffee shop and down the street.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Certified</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Winry receives an award.  This drabble is told from her POV.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Granny tells me that a package arrived for me today when I returned home from the store.  It’s in a large yellow envelope and what I notice first is not the elegant script my name is written in on the front, it’s the return address:  Amestris Auto-Mail Authority in South City.  </p><p>They are the governing body of auto-mail in Amestris, and to be a certified technician (or mechanic) means that you have apprenticed yourself with a good (and already licensed) master mechanic and that you have taken a four-hour test which includes a written portion and a practical examination.  For my practical examination, I turned in one of the legs that I’d built and subsequently modified for Edward years ago.  </p><p> Grinning, I open the envelope and there it is: my dream, realized.  A large parchment-like document states, in no uncertain terms, that I, Winry Rockbell, have been granted the title of Master Auto-Mail Mechanic by the AAA, given this seventeenth day of August, nineteen hundred and sixteen.  I can’t wait to tell Mr. Garfiel.  He’s encouraged me towards this goal for years now, and I wonder if he’ll cry when I tell him.  </p><p>“Where should we hang it?” Granny is behind me with a frame in her hand.  </p><p>“Why not in the room where we do the surgery?”  It’s where Granny’s certification hangs.  She agrees with me.  </p><p>“Hey, Alphonse!”  She calls out.  “I need some help here.”  </p><p>Within minutes, we’re joined by Alphonse and Edward, both of whom have been reading and studying alchemy for hours in our living room.  I left them to their own devices when my eyes started glazing over as Ed tried (again) to explain to me the basic principles of changing elements into other elements.  </p><p>“What’s up?” Ed asks.  His hands are shoved into his pockets.  </p><p>“We need to hang this up in the surgery room.”</p><p>“What is it?” Alphonse asks, and takes the certification from Granny.  As he reads it, his eyes widen.  He looks over at me with a grin. </p><p>“Really, Winry?  Congratulations!”  And then he hugs me.  Alphonse has always been the more demonstrative of the two brothers, and his hugs are two-handed.  To be fair, four years of sensory deprivation will also do that because he hugs Den with two hands as well.  </p><p>“Thanks, Al,” I say, returning his hug.</p><p>“Brother, look!  It’s official!”  </p><p>Alphonse hands Edward the certification, and he reads it over with the same reaction: eyes widening, and then a lopsided grin.  He’s always been my biggest champion, according to Alphonse.  But he doesn’t say anything; he just hands it back to Granny.  I’m a little confused by his non-reaction.  </p><p>But no matter.  I did this; I deserve this, I worked hard for this, and I am proud of my achievement.  This changes a lot of things--well, everything, to be more precise.  I can charge more for my auto-mail.  I can advertise my services differently, and I’m no longer considered someone’s apprentice.  I could technically open my own shop in Rush Valley if I wanted to.  </p><p>We head to the surgery room, with Granny leading the way.  As Granny and Alphonse try to get the document into the frame, and Granny shows Alphonse where to hang it, Edward comes over closer to me.  I smile up at him.  </p><p>Then he does something that takes only seconds.  He wraps one arm around my back and pulls me closer to him, and whispers in my ear, “Congratulations, gearhead.”  It takes me a few seconds to realize that one, his arm is around me; two, that soft kissing sound I hear is actually Ed’s lips on my cheek; and three, I’m returning his hug while smiling.  </p><p>He pulls away from me, hands again in his pockets, and face downcast.  His bangs usually can hide his expressions, but not well enough this time: he’s clearly nervous and he’s also blushing to the tips of his ears.  Then again, my face is probably the same shade of red as his.  “Ed--I--thanks,” is all I can get out.  </p><p>We smile at each other.  Yes.  This changes a lot of things, indeed.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Alphonse decides to prank Edward.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Edward was truly happy that his younger brother, Alphonse, was recovering nicely at their <em>de facto</em> home in Risembool but, he wondered, why in the actual hell his brother had lately taken to tormenting him so frequently?</p><p>Most of the time, Alphonse--being the sensitive person he was--went no further than nagging (“Drink your damn milk already!”) or general acts of mischievousness (hiding Ed’s favorite book in the fireplace, I mean really: <em>who does</em> <em>that?).</em> But one Sunday morning, Alphonse had a malevolent stroke of genius (or madness, depending on who you asked).</p><p>Breakfast was finished, and Granny had gone all out, cooking eggs, bacon, and toast; she’d also made a fresh pot of coffee, and obtained some fresh squeezed orange juice. After collective sighs of satisfaction from everyone at the table, Alphonse was elected (or, more precisely, <em>told</em>) to do the dishes.  </p><p>When Alphonse had kindly suggested that Edward deserved kitchen duty, he was dismissed with a casual wave of Edward’s hand. Alphonse resigned himself to the chore, and set out for the kitchen, which was in its usual state of wreckage from so much cooking. It was then that Alphonse’s malevolency reached full bloom.</p><p>Bacon was a rare treat in their household. The act of cooking it, according to Granny, is pure beauty: a symphony of sizzling meat candy. However, clean up is the exact opposite. When a sufficient amount of bacon is cooked on a frying pan and left to cool, the fat congeals into a viscous white layer with bits of burned meat fragments strewn throughout.</p><p>Alphonse selected a large soup spoon and, avoiding any solid bits of bacon or protein, began collecting the pristine white fat. When the spoon was full, Alphonse looked at it with satisfaction and what some would call an “evil grin.”</p><p>Alphonse had heard his brother head upstairs to their room, presumably to either sleep off the obscene amount of food he’d eaten, or to resume reading his alchemy book. Alphonse took the stairs two at a time and entered their room without knocking.</p><p>Smiling, he approached his brother and said, “Hey, Ed. Winry made some frosting for a cake she’s baking, want to try some?”</p><p>Edward accepted with trusting eyes and a huge grin, cramming the spoon full of bacon grease into his mouth without apprehension.</p><p>With a rush of satisfaction and a slight twinge of primal flight impulse, Alphonse savored that moment, for just seconds later, Edward’s eyes widened, his pupils dilated, and his skin faded to a color similar to the grease he’d just consumed. Reaching out for Alphonse with a twofold purpose, one, to inflict great pain on his younger brother, and two, figuring out what to do with a mouth full of bacon fat, Edward lunged off the bed.</p><p>Alphonse took a couple of large steps backward, and fled downstairs to the relative safety of the living room, with the front door clearly in view, laughing (some would say 'cackling with glee').</p><p>“ALPHONSE!” Edward’s voice screamed for blood.</p><p>Winry, for her part, was innocently tinkering with an auto-mail hand at the kitchen table when Alphonse rushed past her, heading for the front door and freedom, while his outraged brother chased him, making fists in his general direction.  When she stopped Edward and asked what happened, she got quite an earful, including some profane words she was sure she didn’t want to know the meaning of. Then, she simply laughed and continued working.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Complimentary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Al tries to give Ed some encouragement.  Follow-up to chapter 9.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When they’d finished hanging Winry’s certification, they’d celebrated with strawberry pie, a specialty of Granny’s.  Winry, never one to slack off, went back to work in the basement with Granny, while Ed and Al returned to their alchemy research.  They worked quietly until Al asked Ed a question.</p><p>“Hey, Ed.  When we were hanging up Winry’s certificate, why all the blushing?”</p><p>“You know Winry.  I complimented her on getting her master’s, and she turned red.”</p><p>“I wasn’t talking about her, brother.”</p><p>“I---well--” Ed began, but then stopped.  He looked from his brother to the floor and back again. <br/>“I kissed her,” Ed said, his voice barely above a whisper.  When he saw the broad grin that split Al’s face, he clarified, “I mean, just on the cheek.  Not like a real kiss, or anything.”</p><p>“Took you long enough.”  </p><p>“What’s that supposed to mean?”  </p><p>“Oh, nothing.” Al replied.  It never ceased to amaze him how cool and almost calm Ed could be in the heat of battle, fighting a homunculus, and how he devolved into peak awkwardness around Winry.  </p><p>And it wasn’t as if it was a secret that Edward and Winry liked each other.  The betting pool that Alphonse had started in Central now involved Mustang, Hawkeye, Fuery, Breda, Havoc, and Falman and had expanded to Garfiel and Mr. Dominic in Rush Valley.  Alphonse knew that if he played his cards right, and encouraged his brother when he could--like right now--he’d have enough money to travel to Xing and beyond.</p><p>“Ed--just talk to her.  We’re nearly adults, there’s no such thing as cooties, and it’s okay to let someone know you like them.”  Seeing Ed just shrug, Al continued.  “Compliment her sometime.  You can do that, because I’ve seen you do it.” </p><p>Ed didn’t respond immediately but from the look on his face, Al could tell that the wheels in his head were turning.  They’d been living in Resembool for six months now, and life had settled into a comfortable routine.  Comfortable for him, anyway; both Ed and Winry seemed to occasionally turn into melting piles of weirdo when around each other.  </p><p>A door opened, and Winry appeared behind them, wiping her brow.  Her basement workshop wouldn’t close for a while, they both knew, but it was good to see her taking a break every now and then.  Al nudged his brother, and offered to make Winry some tea, which she happily accepted.</p><p>Ed was quiet for a moment, and then looked at Winry, who was seated opposite him at the dining room table.  “You look less tired than you normally do.” </p><p>Winry rolled her eyes and grunted in response.  Ed frowned.  </p><p>Alphonse pinched the bridge of his nose.  At this rate, he wouldn’t get to Xing until he was 30.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Routine Maintenance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Winry repairs Ed's auto-mail. </p>
<p>The story shifts from Winry's POV to Ed's, which is why you'll see asterisks (***) separating the sections.  I think it's written in such a way that it's easy to see who is talking or thinking.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is based on a headcanon of mine that Ed is wearing something under his boxers, because we always see a strip of black below his boxers.</p>
<p>Also, this is the closest I will ever come to writing smut.  I don't know what happened--I think my muse was PMS-ing or drunk.  Or possibly both.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Okay, let’s have a look at your leg.” I say.</p>
<p>Edward nods and goes behind a privacy screen to undress. He’s been doing that since he returned home from the Promised Day. I’ve seen him naked before, but we were much younger, and he seems uncomfortable changing in front of me ever since he turned seventeen.</p>
<p>I happen to look outside, and notice that his blue boxers are hanging on the clothesline. I suppress a giggle, wondering if he’s wearing boxers with pictures on them.  Just then, he comes out from behind the screen.</p>
<p>
  <em>Holy cow.</em>
</p>
<p>He’s wearing a sleeveless black t-shirt, and some black shorts or briefs or something--they’re very form-fitting. <em>Very</em>.</p>
<p><em>Get ahold of yourself, Rockbell</em>.</p>
<p>He sits down on the table and drapes a sheet over himself. I sit on a stool and examine his leg, very much aware that his crotch is literally inches away from me.</p>
<p>
  <em> Keep this professional.</em>
</p>
<p>It takes some incredible self-control on my part not to stare at him. He has well-defined biceps, a six-pack under his t-shirt, strong legs, and topaz eyes. His long golden hair is in its usual ponytail.</p>
<p>I take a deep breath. To help me focus, I begin repeating the parts of his auto-mail:<em> guide wires, shin plate, tibial rod, calcaneal gears, metatarsal neuronal connectors….</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>***</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I used to hate auto-mail maintenance, but now I see it as a way to be with Winry more, so I don’t really mind. I drape the sheet over me, aware that I’m wearing black boxer briefs and not my regular boxers. Usually, I wear both together for extra coverage. However, with Winry’s hand on my thigh, I’m hoping to avoid another situation like the one in Briggs.</p>
<p>I start repeating the periodic table in my head. <em>Hydrogen, carbon, lithium, sodium, beryllium</em>….</p>
<p>From my vantage point on the table, I look down at her. Winry’s wearing the same brown tank top that she wore when I surprised her before the Promised Day. I was in her bedroom, eating, when she came in and...started taking her clothes off. I was torn between loudly clearing my throat to let her know I was there, and just sitting quietly and enjoying the view.</p>
<p>She’s got her blonde hair pulled back today, and her bright blue eyes are focused on my leg. I don’t question her abilities as a mechanic; her skills (and automail upgrades) have saved my ass on more than one occasion.</p>
<p>And I just noticed that if I lean over just slightly, I can see right down her top. I can also see that she’s not wearing a brassiere. My throat is suddenly dry.</p>
<p>
  <em>What was the word Havoc used? Stacked. Winry is stacked.</em>
</p>
<p>I blink once, then twice.</p>
<p>
  <em>Keep it together, Elric. She’s a friend. She can also disable you with one turn of that wrench. And why are you thinking such--crass--thoughts about her, anyway?</em>
</p>
<p>I discreetly place my elbow on my other thigh, draping my arm across my lap. Heat floods my cheeks and is now moving to other parts of me, parts that I’d rather not draw attention to, at least not right now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>***</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Fortunately for Ed (and his cranium), his leg looks to be in pretty good shape. I need to replace the tibial plate that I’ve just cleaned, and I place my hand on Ed’s thigh. My fingers brush the fabric of his shorts and I hear a sharp intake of breath.</p>
<p>“Uh, sorry.” I mutter. I didn’t realize my hand was that far up on his leg.</p>
<p>“It’s okay.” I hear him reply, but I don’t dare look at him right now; my face is a bright red beacon.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>***</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>What the hell? Is she trying to feel me up?</em>
</p>
<p>I shift slightly on the table, careful not to move too much while she’s got my leg in her capable hands. But I’m really starting to get aroused and I’m terrified that she’ll notice.</p>
<p>
  <em>Hydrogen, lithium, beryllium, boron, sodium, carbon…</em>
</p>
<p>I’ve never really been a slave to my hormones the way some guys are. For most of my adolescence, I did have a goal in mind: to get my body and my brother’s body back. Anything involving the opposite sex--including Winry--was sidelined. Like all normal males, I have urges and desires, but I’m nervous about acting on them. Especially with Winry. I respect her, and I hope she respects me. Plus, her wrench.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>***</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Almost done, Ed.” I say, and I’m grateful that his maintenance didn’t take long. I’m going to go outside and hose myself off.</p>
<p>I don’t really remember when I started falling for Ed. It happened when I was about 15 years old. I had just noticed how broad his shoulders were.</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh, they are so much broader now…and his chest...and okay, stop. Focus. Neuronal connectors, calcaneal screws, femoral guide wire...</em>
</p>
<p>I remember telling Mr. Hughes that Ed and Al were like my brothers, and for many years, they were. We ate together, played together, went to school together. But my feelings for Ed began to change somehow. Instead of seeing him as a brother, I started seeing him as a man. A man that, right now, is making me wish we had a lock on the surgery room door so that I could do all sorts of inappropriate things to him.</p>
<p>
  <em>Last week, he kissed me. On the cheek. Now I wonder what his lips taste like. Oh my God, Rockbell, contain yourself! </em>
</p>
<p>“Okay, we’re all done.” The last plate is in place, and I need to put my tools (and inappropriate thoughts) away. “Stand up and walk around. Tell me how your leg feels.” I lean back on the stool and begin organizing my toolbox.</p>
<p>Ed stands up in one fluid movement and puts the sheet behind him on the table. I notice a slight bulge in the front of his shorts, and am immediately ashamed of myself.</p>
<p>
  <em>Stop staring at his crotch! What is wrong with you?</em>
</p>
<p>He walks back to the privacy screen and starts getting dressed. “It feels great, Winry. Thanks.” he says. I know he and Al will be outside in a few minutes sparring, because that’s now part of Al’s rehabilitation.</p>
<p>I close my toolbox and stand up. I smile at him, and he smiles back.</p>
<p>“Don’t break it fighting with Al this time,” I give him a friendly warning.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>***</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You worry too much, Winry.” Al can still beat me when we spar, but I’m pretty careful with my automail these days. Winry seems proud of me. I chalk it up to not having to fight homunculi on a regular basis.</p>
<p>Now dressed, I come out from behind the screen. Winry is standing and there are some sweat stains on her shirt, as well as some oil stains on her blue work pants. She stretches her arms over her head.</p>
<p>
  <em>They’re...really perky. </em>
</p>
<p>I’m definitely going to need a shower after sparring with Al. A nice cold one.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Old Friends, Part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Alphonse and Julia's meet up in East City, continued.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Old Friends, Part 2</p><p>Alphonse offered Julia his arm as they left the coffee shop and headed to a two-story building at the other end of the street.  She accepted with a smile and they made their way down the street to Central Books.  </p><p>The red brick building was old, probably built in the 1880s, Alphonse thought.  Books of all shapes and sizes filled bookcases as well as the windows of the store.  It reminded Alphonse of Sheska’s house: a few tables, some lights and a couple of lanterns, but no other furniture: just books as far as the eye could see.  An older man greeted them, and Julia asked him where to find books on alchemy.  He pointed to an aisle off to his left, and Julia headed there.  </p><p>Alphonse shoved his hands in his pockets and followed her.  A sweet, musky smell permeated the air in the shop, and Alphonse knew that, scientifically, it was from the organic compounds in the books like cellulose from wood pulp reacting to light, heat, or water.  It was a smell he remembered from the days he and Edward spent in their father’s study.  </p><p>Alphonse heard noise from the aisle to his right, and he found Julia pulling books from shelves, but then returning them with a dissatisfied look on her face.  Then she pulled a book with a dark green cover and black spine off the shelf.  Julia started thumbing through the pages, and a slow smile spread across her face.  </p><p>She looked up and realized Alphonse was next to her.  “Oh, sorry.  I could get lost in here.”  She held up the book.  “I found it.  This book--or a copy of it--belonged to my parents.  This should make for interesting reading tonight.”</p><p>“How many alchemy books do you have?” he asked as they walked to the front of the store.</p><p>Julia smiled.  “Enough to say that I have a fairly large unread library at home.”</p><p>“Find what you were looking for?” The older man asked.</p><p>Julia looked down at the book, then sideways at Alphonse.  He met her gaze and smiled shyly.</p><p>“Yes,” they both answered.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Summertime</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Summertime in Resembool, and the livin' is easy.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Pitt Renbak is a character from an FMA light novel called "Under the Faraway Sky".  He's a childhood friend of the trio, and has harbored a crush on Winry for a while.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When the heat in Resembool becomes oppressive, usually during the month of August, the locals head to the Rain River to cool off.  Today, with the sun shining in a cloudless sky, it appeared as though the entire population of the village had simply decided that it was too damned hot to do any work, and had all converged en masse at the river’s edge.  Children waded into the shallower waters.  Teenagers and adults lay on blankets and ate food from picnic baskets.  </p><p>Alphonse had been talking to an old childhood friend named Pitt Renbak for several minutes before he heard his name being called.  His brother was waving him over to where he and Winry were sitting, eating an entire watermelon.  Alphonse asked Pitt to join them, but he declined.  </p><p>Pitt had been working with his father, a physician, for years.  He knew which herbal medicines worked on gout and which ones aided with digestion.  He also knew how to set a broken bone.  But he never found out how to stop the ache in his heart when he saw Winry smile at Edward.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Treasure Chest</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ed visits the Rockbell attic one summer day.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was old, older than Pinako, and it smelled of cedar.  It stayed in the attic at the Rockbell home for decades without being touched until one summer day when a bored teenager happened upon it while exploring the house.  </p><p>He opened the cedar chest easily and waved away the cloud of dust from its cover.  He peered inside and smiled.  A worn doll lay in one corner, a memory of his first attempt at alchemy (well, not technically first, but his first attempt at alchemizing a gift); old photos lay scattered on the bottom of the chest.  He pulled one out and his breath caught.  </p><p>A chestnut-haired woman, heavily pregnant, was holding a smiling toddler with golden hair.  Next to her, a blonde woman wearing a white hat held a miniature version of herself in a green dress.  The blonde miniature was also smiling and holding some daisies.</p><p>To anyone else, the presence of nuts, bolts, and screws in such a chest would be an oddity, but then this was the Rockbell home.  A half-built auto-mail hand was also inside.  The teenager reached in and moved the hand, finding some faded paper with what appeared to be engineering blueprints written on it.  The blueprints were for an auto-mail leg, and the drawing was very detailed.</p><p>The teenager smiled when he saw a scribbled note at the bottom of the blueprint: “FOR ED, AGE 11, BY WINRY ROCKBELL.”  </p><p>He would have to show this to Winry later.  The remainder of the chest had old photo albums dating back thirty years, from the looks of the faded and torn photographs.  There was one photo that he noticed appeared to have been partially burned: it was of the same chestnut-haired woman with two golden-haired boys on either side of her.  The teenager took this photo with him when he descended the stairs from the attic, leaving the chest to be found by another treasure hunter.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I have a cedar chest like the one described here.  It belonged to my grandmother, and holds photos as well as my daughter's baby blanket (my daughter will be 25 next month).</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Penpals</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Alphonse receives a letter from Xing.  Again.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Would you give it back?” Alphonse’s voice was rarely raised, but he’d had it up to here with teasing from both Edward and Winry.</p><p>“She’s waiting for you,” Winry said, grinning.  Edward was still holding the letter just out of Alphonse’s reach.  </p><p>This happened to be the third letter from Xing, and it was written in a somewhat elegant script.  It was decorated with hearts and flowers in the margins and May had even drawn Shao May in the corner.  Alphonse sighed.  He’d answered one letter from her already, and had inquired about potential alkahestry teachers.  May had written back, seemingly offended that he hadn’t asked her to tutor him personally.</p><p>“I’m impressed, little brother.  Your first girlfriend is a princess.  A bean princess, but still…”  </p><p>Alphonse finally stood up and snatched the letter from Edward’s hands.  “I should transmute both of you into the wall.”</p><p>Edward and Winry continued laughing.</p><p>“Are you going to Xing to see her?”  Winry finally asked, after catching her breath.</p><p>“I want to spend the summer here.  But I’m curious about alkahestry, so eventually I may head to Xing.”</p><p>“You know, if you marry May, you’ll be related to Ling.”  Edward said.</p><p>“And if I marry May and you marry Winry, then we’ll all be related to Ling.”  Alphonse countered, feeling gratified at the deep blushes that now covered Edward and Winry’s cheeks. </p><p>Alphonse carefully folded the letter and sipped his tea while watching his brother and Winry.  The shy glances that passed between them were growing more frequent.  While he was happy for them both--he’d believed that they were a good match since he was about 13 years old--he simply didn’t want any romantic attachments of his own.  At least not yet.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Going Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's October 3rd in Resembool, a day of remembrance.  And of making new friends.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The day was sunny and bright, with the wind bringing a chill to the air that promised an early fall with leaves blazing orange and gold.  The temperaments of the three teenagers who stood in the cemetery, however, were decidedly cold.  Edward glared at Hohenheim’s grave as if daring the man to rise up from the ground so Edward could punch him again.  Alphonse wiped his eyes while looking at his mother’s grave.  </p><p>Winry stood apart from them, eyes going back and forth between the graves of her parents, unwilling sacrifices in Ishval.  The wind whipped her hair as she lay bouquets of flowers on the stone slabs.  The graves weren’t far from Winry’s house and even closer to her heart.  She smiled when she remembered her parents taking her apple picking, or inviting the Elrics over for dinner.  </p><p>“It’s not that far away, brother,” she heard Alphonse’s voice say.  </p><p>“You really want to do this?” Edward replied.</p><p>Winry stood and looked at the brothers.  Then she realized what day it was.</p><p>“Hey, Winry,” Edward called to her, gesturing ‘come here’ with his right hand.  </p><p>‘What is it?” she asked, coming to stand near Alphonse.  </p><p>“We’re going to the house.  You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”<br/>

“I’m coming.” Winry said, her voice brooking no dissent.  They walked silently through the cemetery, across the fields where daisies usually bloomed, and up the hill until they came to the burned-out ruins of a house.</p><p>“How long has it been?  Six years?” Winry asked softly.</p><p>“Yeah.  Six years.”  Edward replied.  </p><p>Winry stood next to him and, summoning her courage, took his hand in hers.  He responded by squeezing it.  </p><p>Stone and bricks stood like sentinels guarding the oak tree where a swing had provided hours of childhood fun for the three friends.  Wood beams lay across the ground, some nearly reduced to ash, others providing a place for ivy to grow.  A few small wildflowers grew in and around the foundation, which made Alphonse smile at the coexistence of roots and ruins, of violent destruction transformed into lush fertility.</p><p>The fireplace stood out from the remains, seemingly untouched by fire.  And there was a small noise coming from it which Alphonse noticed first.  “What’s that?”</p><p>“What’s what?” Edward asked.  “I don’t hear anything.”</p><p>Alphonse had already started climbing over the ruins, heading towards the source of the sound and taking care not to fall.  When he got to the fireplace, he knelt down, brushing aside some timber.  A small kitten, not more than one year old, was curled up on the hearth.  Alphonse spoke softly to the kitten, eventually leaning over and picking it up with one hand.  </p><p>“Alphonse, what are you doing?”  </p><p>Alphonse stood up and placed the kitten into one of his coat pockets.  Its brown and gray head stuck out, and it mewled in protest at being removed from its home.</p><p>“A cat?”  Winry asked, unable to hide the grin from her face.</p><p>“I don’t know where its mother could be, but I’m keeping it,” Alphonse said.  </p><p>“We have milk at home for it,” Winry suggested.   “It’s not like Ed’s going to drink it.”</p><p>Edward responded by dropping Winry’s hand and waving his hand over the several inches of space that now separated their respective heights.  Winry punched his arm in response, which only elicited laughter from him.  </p><p>As the trio walked back to their home--their real, true home--they debated names for the kitten, many of which were dismissed without a second thought.   It was Winry who finally came up with the name “Ash”, which was unanimously agreed upon.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Fall Break</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Den tries to help Edward with his chores.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Raking leaves fell somewhere between undergoing a root canal and having to take the written portion of the state alchemy examination again.  Edward wiped his forehead and leaned against the rake.  While he loved the cool breezes of autumn as well as the bonfires and the never-ending supply of apple pies that came from Winry’s kitchen, he could do without certain seasonal-based chores.</p><p>The pile of gold, red, and orange leaves in the Rockbell yard testified to Edward’s work ethic as it stood about 2 feet high.  Edward relaxed for a few seconds, allowing the wind to ruffle his long bangs.  Maybe they’d build a fire later, sit on the floor and enjoy hot chocolate.  Maybe he’d even work up the nerve to put his arm around Winry.  </p><p>Any future thoughts of relaxation ended as Den joyously flung his black body into the pile of leaves, scattering them across the yard, as well as across Edward.  As Den rolled in unfiltered ecstasy in what he now considered his leaf pile, Edward pulled leaves from his hair and sighed.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Starry Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Resembool Trio observe a meteor shower.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For a brilliant auto-mail engineer, sometimes she doesn’t always think clearly.  Like tonight, for example.  Al, my brother, and Winry are outside on the porch looking up at the starry sky.  There’s a meteor shower that’s going to start in a few minutes and we all watched it together, just like we’d done as children a decade ago.</p><p>But while Al and I wore sweaters, Winry’s outside in her jeans and a t-shirt.  It’s not winter yet, but the temperature drops at night, and there’s a slight breeze.  I can see goosebumps on her arms already.  She keeps rubbing her hands together for warmth.  I sigh and go back inside the house.  </p><p>When I get back, I drape a white hoodie that I bought in Central over Winry’s shoulders, surprising her.  She looks up at me with bright blue eyes, and for a moment I forget my own name.  I sit down between her and Al, and realize that my arm is around her shoulder, and I feel heat rising to my cheeks.  </p><p>Al nudges me in the side, and I glare at him.  </p><p>“Thanks, Ed,” I hear her say.  </p><p>“You’re welcome,” I replied, having remembered how to talk.  </p><p>Winry leans into my side, my arm still on her shoulder, and she points at the sky.  A few white streaks cross the endless night, and we fall into a comfortable silence.  An hour later, Al is yawning and so am I.  </p><p>“I think I’m gonna turn in for the night,” Al says, standing.  We both say good night, but don’t move from our sitting positions on the porch.  My arm isn’t on Winry’s shoulders anymore, it’s on my leg with Winry’s arm wrapped around it.  I’m glad we’re not holding hands, because mine are sweaty.</p><p>The last few meteors have long since faded away, and Winry and I are listening to the crickets chirp.  I turn and look at her.  Her blonde hair is blowing in the breeze and she’s got a slight smile on her face, like she’s content.  Then she looks down and realizes her arm is around mine.  She gets flustered—and she looks so cute when this happens—and says, “Uh, sorry!” and disentangles herself.  Or at least she tries to.</p><p>I move my arm back around her shoulders and try to calm my breathing.  My heart is beating faster and I feel like I’m physically going to crawl out of my skin and run away.  Winry turns to look at me, and I tilt my head to the right.  She leans in towards me.  </p><p>My lips part, I close my eyes, and gently brush Winry’s soft lips with mine and linger for a little.  My brain is flooding my body with chemical signals, but right now the only thing I truly know is that I’m really kissing Winry.  </p><p>When we pull away, I look into her eyes.  I smile, and she returns it.  Deciding that honesty is the best policy where Winry’s concerned, I say, “I’ve been wondering all night if I should do that.”  </p><p>Being the genius physician assistant/auto-mail engineer she is, Winry just says, “I was wondering when you were going to do that.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is my take on how Winry gets Ed's old hoodie, which she appears to be wearing in the final episode of the series.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Gift Return</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ed returns a gift.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You know, Ed, for a child prodigy, you can be so thick sometimes,” Winry says, exasperation clear in her voice. She holds Ed’s auto-mail leg in her capable hands and is oiling it, which is what Ed should have done several weeks ago.</p>
<p>Ed sighs. This conversation again?</p>
<p>“I was going to, but I forgot, okay?”</p>
<p>Winry responds by glaring at him. She puts a lot of time, effort, and love into crafting auto-mail and not just for him but for all of her clients, and she feels a sense of righteous indignation at how badly Ed treats his auto-mail.</p>
<p>“You forgot again? Is there anything you do remember?” she asks acidly.</p>
<p>“I remembered these.” Ed says, grinning and holding a small black box out to her.</p>
<p>Winry looks puzzled for a moment, then takes the box with a sigh and opens it. Ed watches as a slow smile spreads across her face, and her anger dissipates like the morning fog when the sun rises in the sky.</p>
<p>Her earrings. All three pairs. The ones Ed and Al gifted to her when she was just 13 years old.</p>
<p>“I haven’t worn these in months,” Winry says, remembering a cold abandoned town and Scar.</p>
<p>“Yeah, and I’m sorry I didn’t give them back sooner, “ Ed replies, leaning back on the table. “But between the Promised Day, and getting Al’s body back, and then coming home to you--” he starts, and then catches himself, “Uh, and Granny, I didn’t think about them until yesterday.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, Ed.”</p>
<p>“I didn’t forget that you--uh--entrusted them to me.”</p>
<p>
  <em>I’ll see you back at the fort, she’d said. </em>
</p>
<p>“I guess you’re not as forgetful as I originally thought,” Winry says, leaning over to plant a kiss on Ed’s cheek. She straightened up, and began putting her tools away, a flush on her cheeks.</p>
<p><em>She gets so worked up over something so simple</em>, Ed thought, as he touched his cheek where Winry had kissed him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I believe it's an unwritten law in the FMA fandom that everyone has to write an "Ed gives Winry her earrings back" fanfiction.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Thoughts of You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ed and Winry's burgeoning relationship in Resembool, post-Promised Day</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I like Winry.</p>
<p>There, I said it.  And I’d say it again.  She gives me space when I need it, which is why I think she’s cool.  She doesn’t feel the need to talk all the time.  Some of my best recent memories are of us at the house, her working and me reading (usually in her workroom or the basement) and the comfortable silence that wraps around us like a blanket.</p>
<p>Girls say they want you to be honest, but then they get upset when you are.  Guys just can’t win.  There are questions you can’t answer without manipulating the truth, like “Does this dress make me look fat?” Or “How did you destroy your auto-mail this time?”</p>
<p>Not that I am any expert; I’m 16 years old and have never had a girlfriend.  But I don’t consider it a big deal.  Maybe it’s the thing you don’t find until you’re looking for it.  I look up from my book, realizing that Winry is standing over me.  I’m splayed out on the couch as usual.  She’s offering me a slice of apple pie.  </p>
<p>“Uh, sure.”  I take the proffered slice of apple pie and my fingers brush against hers.  I feel my face grow warm. </p>
<p>It’s as I’m taking my first bite of pie that I remember noticing some daisies growing in Mr. Woodson’s field while we were out walking the other day.  I know Winry likes them. I don’t think about what it means when I go to pick some later today.  I just know that I want to give them to her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Little Birds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Alphonse's POV on a typical day in the Rockbell household</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Dammit, Winry!”  I hear my brother’s voice from the surgery room where he’s currently having his automail adjusted.</p>
<p>“Hold still, Ed!”  Winry’s voice replies, tinged with anger and exasperation in equal parts.</p>
<p>I look outside the window in the kitchen, shaking my head.  There are two noisy birds in the oak tree on Pinako’s property and they are sharing a branch.  They squawk at each other and one occasionally hops over, forcing the other bird to either flit away or move further down the branch.</p>
<p>“Why don’t you ever tell me before you connect the nerves?” Ed yells.</p>
<p>“Oh, shut up already!  I told you but you weren’t listening!”</p>
<p>A few other species make their home in Resembool, such as pigeons and sparrows.  Some larger birds like the Drachman eagle occasionally migrate south to Resembool during the harsh winter.  </p>
<p>I hear footsteps and grumbling.  </p>
<p>“Sorry, Ed, I thought you heard me,” Winry is saying, her voice contrite.</p>
<p>“Yeah, no problem.  Now what did Pinako want me to do today?”</p>
<p>“Chopping firewood is first, and then cleaning your room.”</p>
<p>Ed sighs theatrically.  But he picks up the axe with his restored arm and walks outside.  I notice Winry watching him walk away.  Not that he doesn’t do the same when she’s working.  Or cooking.  </p>
<p>The two birds on the branch are still there, chirping away.  But right now, the mating dance of Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell is far more interesting—and amusing.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Late Nights</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alphonse padded silently down the stairs and into the kitchen to get some water.  His sleeping habits were much improved from the time when he simply could not sleep, even in the hospital after the Promised Day.  He still occasionally had terrifying nightmares but they were so few and far between that he was pleasantly surprised when they happened.  </p>
<p>He knew, rationally, that his nightmares were a consequence of his fear and a part of his life until the fear could be managed.  A pure white void.  A faceless person.  The thought of dying.</p>
<p>As he sipped his water, he thought that the only way to conquer fear was through bravery.  Bravery is not the absence of fear but rather the embracing of fear with truth in one’s heart.  And the truth was that even though his body could be hurt--he was still underweight and couldn’t lift more than 15 pounds without help--but his soul was his forever.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Chapter 24</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>All this time—have I been falling for him? </em>
</p>
<p>Winry occasionally wondered how she’d come to this point.  Oh, sure it started with her realization that yes, Edward was a boy and a cute one at that, and that he treated her nicely.  At least when they weren’t arguing.</p>
<p>But now, having kissed him at least twice, Winry felt like she knew Edward.  She knew how reckless he could be, but also how loyal.  She knew he had a temper—because she’d seen it flare up at dinner that night over something Al had said—but she also knew that Ed loved his brother deeply.  </p>
<p>It was when she was working one night, laboring over a forearm that her client would pick up tomorrow, that she realized she loved him.  She wanted him to be happy—and wasn’t that really what love was?  Was that how her parents felt about each other?</p>
<p>“Hey, are you still up?” </p>
<p>Winry turned to see Ed behind her, hands in his pockets.  </p>
<p>She smiled. “I’m almost done.”</p>
<p>She held her breath as she felt Ed’s hands on her shoulders, lightly massaging them.  “Don’t make it another late night.  We have to go into town tomorrow for Granny, remember?”  </p>
<p>“Like I said, I’m almost done.”  She turned back to her workstation, tool in hand, ready to complete the job.  Ed let go of her and said, “Good night,” and turned to go back upstairs.</p>
<p>Winry saw her future in that instant.  She saw herself, working as always, but with Ed’s quiet, unobtrusive (but permanent) presence in her head.  It both scared and amazed her.  She remembered how, as a child, she’d watch her parents work at home: they’d compare patient histories, discuss treatment plans, and look over their medical instruments.  There was a warmth in that room that she could feel.  Winry felt that same warmth now, and she wanted it to last forever.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Sticky Situation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Life with a kitten is unpredictable, to say the least.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alphonse had bought his kitten, Ash, several toys including a feather on a stick, a stuffed mouse, and a red ball.  All to no avail because Ash would much rather play with random household objects that included dirty socks, pillows, the occasional piece of auto-mail left on the ground, and--one bright Sunday morning--a roll of fly tape.</p>
<p>Pianko had kept the tape under the sink in a cabinet but had neglected to close the cabinet door entirely.  Alphonse still wasn’t sure how Ash managed it, but that morning he, Ed, and Winry had taken a walk to their neighbor’s house, their arms laden with produce they intended to trade.  They walked in the front door to find Ash had effectively hog-tied himself in the middle of the kitchen floor and was mewling piteously.</p>
<p>Ash’s brown and gray fur stuck out in giant tufts between the strips of gooey tape that he’d somehow managed to wind all over himself, even bending his tail.  Ed started laughing first, followed by Winry, and finally Alphonse, who was relieved to see the kitten was otherwise unharmed. </p>
<p>Their laughter rang throughout the kitchen as Alphonse held Ash while Ed and Winry cut the tape away.  Once they were finished, Ash had random bald spots all over his body but seemed placid once Alphonse gave him a bowl of milk.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Only Children</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>What happens when an only child gains two brothers?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Winry Rockbell was an only child and, for the most part, she didn't mind.  Occasionally, she wondered what having a sibling was really like, having watched sibling interactions through her patients and friends.  When she was 16 years of age, she got two siblings, both brothers, who lived in her house and after that there were days when she fervently wished she could go back to being an only child.</p>
<p>If she found Ed's alchemy notebook, with its myriad scribblings in the margins on her workshop table one more time...or if she found Ash, Alphonse's adopted kitten, eating her socks again...Winry decided there would be hell to pay.  Let's not even mention the dishes piled in the sink, the dirty clothes on the floor, the wood needing to be chopped in the basement, or the constant asking, "What's for dinner?"</p>
<p>But even she had to admit that having brothers was beneficial,  When Mr. Baker scowled and complained about his auto-mail leg (which she'd patiently adjusted again this week, acceding to his wishes), Alphonse was there like a protectie shield, defending Winry's abilities to the angry farmer.  And when she visited her parents' graves and came home a veritable cocktail of emotions, it was usually Edward who calmer her down and provided a literal shoulder for her to cry on.  They had been happy for her when she received her master's degree and she was glad to have someone besides Granny to celebrate with.  </p>
<p>She could do without the arguing, though.  Edward had started in with her the other day, and it had gotten so bad that Pinako threatened to separate them.  Winry retorted by saying she'd build Edward his own wing, and then silence had filled the house.</p>
<p>The question of "What's for dinner" had been answered tonight by Winry making a spinach quiche using a recipe from Gracia Hughes.  Having watched her "brothers" devour the entire thing (fortunately, she'd made herself a sandwich), she smiled.  There was a sense of security and company in the Rockbell home.  Life with siblings wasn't perfect, just more interesting.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Something old, something new</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A wedding in Resembool (no, not that one)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the purple twilight, the barn glowed from the many candles and lanterns on the tables.  White flowers sat in squat round jars.  Strings of white lights crisscrossed the ceiling. Nellie and her husband, James, looked radiant as they danced around the oaken floor.  Winry leaned against the wall and straightened her long pink dress.  She’d never been a bridesmaid before and she was loving the experience.</p>
<p>She glanced over at Ed and Al, sitting with Granny, and apparently entertaining some of the younger guests with stories about their travels.  The clinking of silverware on glass made Winry glance up.  </p>
<p>James and Nellie obliged their guests by kissing, and the guests applauded and yelled their approval.  James said to the guests, his arm wrapped around Nellie, “The best thing I’ve ever decided to do, was to marry my best friend today and kiss her in front of my whole family.”</p>
<p>The guests applauded and later, when asked about the wedding, Winry wouldn’t remember all the little details, because at the moment James had said, “best friend” she’d locked eyes with Ed, who’d raised his eyebrow and smiled at her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Snow Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The day had come with a warm front followed by colder temperatures at night and some slushy snow, unusual for the small country town.  About four inches fell like silent rain over the ground, and Pinako shooed everyone outside that morning.  </p>
<p>The best part of the day wasn’t the snowball fight that had started with the neighbor’s kids (Ed claimed they struck first), or the quiet walk through fields turned white under a bright blue sky afterward.  </p>
<p>The best part came much later in the day, when they all fought over who sat in the middle (Alphonse won), and Winry brought out graham crackers and some chocolate.  They bundled themselves in Granny’s quilts and sat in front of the fire, with the snow on their heads and clothes slowly melting, Ed’s hand finding Winry’s behind Al’s back, and laughing at Al’s marshmallow and chocolate-covered mouth.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Bibliophiles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Every book holds a story beyond the words printed on its pages.  </p>
<p>Neighbors who came to the Rockbell household were surprised to see one wall made up entirely of bookshelves.  It was partially built by a master carpenter with some help from Ed, although he didn’t brag about it.  </p>
<p>There were auto-mail catalogs, medical school anatomy textbooks, gently used alchemy texts, the odd novel or collection of poems (which pretty much everyone guessed belonged to Al), cookbooks (one, in particular, was gifted to Winry from Gracia), and some well-worn paperback novels that Pinako loved to read mostly romances. </p>
<p>Every inch of the shelving tells something about who lives in the household: who they are, who they used to be, and who they hope to be in the future.  They’re just books--musty old pages, some dog-eared, broken spines, and torn covers.  They might not be read again for several years or several days.  But they had been read once, and they still provided a record of the lives of the Rockbell household, in more detail and depth than most photo albums could provide.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A bibliophile is a person who loves books.  I happily describe myself that way.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Sweet Dreams</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ed stood up and sauntered over to where Winry stood at the sink.  His proximity made her stomach do a funny little tumble.  She heard the pounding of her heart in her ears, and she worried that Ed could hear it, too.  He raised his hand and tucked a few strands of blonde hair behind her ears.  His warm breath tickled her cheek.</p>
<p>“You’re cute when you blush,” he said as he pressed his lips to her cheek.  Winry smiled and turned her head to face him, her blue eyes as wide as his topaz ones.  His gaze went to her lips, and Winry knew what he was thinking.  As Ed leaned in, Winry closed her eyelids and puckered her lips.  </p>
<p>Instead of the expected kiss, however, Winry felt a tongue brush across her face.  </p>
<p>Confused, she opened her eyes to find herself still in bed, with Den lying next to her, wagging his tail happily.  She grinned, and he licked her again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Dogs.  Gotta love 'em.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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